Legal Commentary

Rights Groups Release Secret Detention, Rendition And Torture Docs Obtained in FOIA Case

By Big Tent Democrat

From the Center For Constitutional Rights:

Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit confirm Department of Defense involvement in the CIA’s ghost detention program, revealed three prominent human rights groups today. The groups—Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ)—today released documents obtained from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Department of State (DOS), resulting from their lawsuit seeking the disclosure of government documents that relate to secret detention, extraordinary rendition, and torture. At a public press conference, the groups revealed that these documents confirm the existence of secret prisons at Bagram and in Iraq; affirm the DOD’s cooperation with the CIA’s ghost detention program; and show one case where the DOD sought to delay the release of Guantánamo prisoners who were scheduled to be sent home by a month and a half in order to avoid bad press.

More . .

On a conference call, I asked 3 questions to representatives of the rights groups. First, I asked if the activities described in the documents were now prohibited by President Obama's executive orders on these subjects. The answer was that there was concern regarding "gaps" in the orders regarding the transport and temporary holding of persons who then might be subject to some of these activities, especially in light of the fact that persons formally detained by the military were made available to the CIA in the temporary detention settings.

Second, I asked about any Jeppesen documents. The documents were heavily redacted and it is possible that Jeppesen was a part of that redaction. However, since Jeppesen was most closely tied to the CIA, the view is that Jeppesen would not necessarily figure prominently in these documents, which come from the Defense Department.

Third, I asked for a reaction to the Gallup poll result I blogged about earlier. The rights groups all believe that this is encouraging and a strong signal that the American People will not accept attempts to sweep this history under the rug.

A personal reaction, my thanks to all these groups for their important work on these matters. I personally urge any support you can give to them for their work.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on February 12, 2009 (boomark / email).